No Fences (Garth Brooks) – 1990
No Fences is the second studio album by the American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 27, 1990, and reached #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. The album also reached #3 on the Billboard 200. On the latter chart it stayed in the top 40 for 126 weeks. No Fences remains Brooks’ best-selling studio album to date with 17 million copies shipped in the US, and is the album that made him an international star. It was his first album issued in Europe (the original European release contained the four singles from his U.S. debut as bonus tracks).
Some of Brooks’ most famous songs appear on No Fences, including: “The Thunder Rolls” (CMA’s 1991 Video of the Year), “Friends in Low Places” (Academy of Country Music’s 1990 Single of the Year), “Unanswered Prayers” and “Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House”. A cover version of The Fleetwoods’ “Mr. Blue” appears on the album. The album itself was named Album of the Year by the ACM in 1990. It reached Number 1 on the British country music charts (earning Brooks his first gold album in that country) and remained charted for over five years.
The track “Victim of the Game” was later covered by Brooks’s friend and future wife Trisha Yearwood for her 1991 eponymous debut album.
Brooks later re-recorded the track “Wild Horses”, and released the new recording as a single in early 2001, reaching #7 on the country chart.
aching #7 on the country chart.
25th anniversary reissue
In September 2015, it was announced No Fences would be reissued later in the year to commemorate its 25-year release anniversary. The release would include a new version of “Friends in Low Places”, featuring George Strait, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, and Keith Urban singing along with Brooks. The album release has since been delayed due to royalty disputes.
Track listing
“The Thunder Rolls” (Pat Alger, Garth Brooks) – 3:42
“New Way to Fly” (Kim Williams, Brooks) – 3:54
“Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House” (Bobby Boyd, Warren Haynes, Dennis Robbins) – 2:31
“Victim of the Game” (Mark D. Sanders, Brooks) – 3:06
“Friends in Low Places” (Dewayne Blackwell, Earl “Bud” Lee) – 4:18
“This Ain’t Tennessee” (Jim Shaw, Larry Bastian) – 4:08A
“Wild Horses” (Bill Shore, David Wills) – 3:08
“Unanswered Prayers” (Alger, Larry Bastian, Brooks) – 3:23
“Same Old Story” (Tony Arata) – 2:52
“Mr. Blue” (Blackwell) – 3:16
“Wolves” (Stephanie Davis) – 4:08
AThis track was not on the original release of the album. It first appeared when the album was re-released as part of Brooks’ first Limited Series box set collection, and remained part of subsequent releases of the album until 2014, when it was released digitally for the first time.
Personnel
The following credits are sourced from liner notes included with the album’s release.
Musicians
Pat Alger – acoustic guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Bruce Bouton – pedal steel guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Tim Bowers – bass guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Garth Brooks – lead, harmony and backing vocals, acoustic guitar
Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar
Mike Chapman – bass guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Johnny Christopher – acoustic guitar
Ty England – acoustic guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Dave Gant – piano, keyboard, organ, fiddle, harmony and backing vocals
James Garver – electric guitar, harmony and backing vocals
Rob Hajacos – fiddle, harmony and backing vocals
Chris Leuzinger – electric guitar
Steve McClure – electric and pedal steel guitars
Edgar Meyer – double bass
Mike Palmer – drums, percussion
Brian Petree – harmony and backing vocals
Milton Sledge – drums
Bobby Wood – piano, keyboards, organ, harmony and backing vocals
Nashville String Machine – strings
Backing and harmony vocalists
Friends in Low Places
Pat Alger
Al “Shaggy” Barclay
Dewayne Blackwell
Bruce Bouton
Tim Bowers
Sandy Brooks
Stephanie C. Brown
Mike Chapman
Bob Doyle
The Englands (plus one)
Dave Gant
Rob Hajacos
Joe Harris
Dan Heins
Rusty “Race Horse” Jones
Steve King
Earl of Bud Lee
Pam “The Chick” Lewis
Buddy Mondlock
Steve Morley
Mike “Palmerman”
Brian Petree
Dale Pierce
Jim Rooney
Tami Rose
Lee Sartin
Charlie Stefl
Scott Stem
Bobby Wood
Unanswered Prayers
Wendy Johnson
Jennifer O’Brien
Hurshel Wiginton
Curtis Young
Wolves
Indian River
David McVay
Stephen Tolman
Neil Thrasher
Curry Worsham
Recording personnel
Denny Purcell – mastering engineer
Mark Miller – recording and mixing engineer
Dan Heins – harmony and backing vocals, audio engineer